Jun 14, 2022 | Personal
Dear Alex,
Work isn’t very fun. I understand why you don’t like it.
Unfortunately, work is what moves your life forward, and you have a habit of avoiding it. Your brain is getting very good at doing things that look productive but don’t really matter at all. So, I’ve written out a few reminders to help you focus on what matters. Read these when you feel yourself drifting into procrastination.
A new to-do list app isn’t going to move your career forward. Just do the work.
Organizing your desk isn’t going to make you a productivity wizard. Just do the work.
Reading one more article isn’t going to make your writing any better. Just do the work.
“But these things are still helpful!”
True, but only in moderation. You focus on them much more than necessary.
Again, I get it. Consumption is much easier than action, but unfortunately, action is the only thing that moves you forward. All the articles, books, and tools in the world will do nothing if you don’t take action on them.
Do you want to have a great career? Just do the work.
Do you want to create great things? Just do the work.
Do you want to be a leader? Just do the work.
By now, I hope you see a trend. But you’re a bit dense, so I’ll spell it out for you one more time.
Your aspirations won’t be fulfilled by reading books, organizing files, or using a new note-taking tool. You want to do great things, so you must do great work. That starts by just doing any work. Anything that moves the ball forward. Step one is just showing up.
So, just do the work.
— Alex